Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Kuzholuzo Nienu, today launched the five-year TB programme on ‘Civil Society Initiative to Strengthen TB Care & Control in India’.Appreciating the efforts of agencies involved in the programme, the minister said that the initiative would further strengthen the existing TB programme in the state. “People of the state will benefit from this and it will go a long way in providing quality TB services through a collaborative effort between the state health department and our partners”. He also released the patient charter at the function.The initiative to strengthen TB treatment, care and support in India comes under a country-wide programme ‘Providing Universal Access to Drug-Resistant TB Control Services and Strengthening Civil Society Involvement in TB Care and Control’. The programme is funded by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria- Round 9 (GFATM-9).Speaking on the occasion, Menukhol John, Commissioner Secretary, Health & Family Welfare, said that the department will provide all the necessary technical and other support to make the programme a success. “We are serious in partnering with EHA, CHAI and other stakeholders in fighting TB in the state and will provide any kind of support to achieve this”. The Emmanuel Hospital Association (EHA) and Catholic Health Association of India (CHAI) would implement the programme in Nagaland. While EHA would cover Phek, Wokha, and Zunheboto districts, CHAI will take care of Mokokchung, Mon and Tuensang over a period of five years starting August 2010.Seeking cooperation from civil society organisations and other stakeholders, Dr. Mathew Santhosh Thomas, Executive Director, EHA, said, “We believe that greater involvement of the community in decision making and implementation of the programme will lead to early diagnosis and treatment of TB in Nagaland”.Under the Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP) 21,205 patients are being treated through 43 Designated Microscopy Centres (DMC) and around 600 Direct Observation Treatment (DOT) centres in the state and 5,683 patients have been cured so far. With TB case detection rate of 90 percent and cure rate of 91 percent, the RNTCP programme in Nagaland has surpassed the national case detection rate of 70 percent and national cure rate target of 85 percent.Dr. K.T. Lotha, State TB Officer who also spoke on the occasion said that involvement of civil society organisations was critical in reaching out to people in far flung areas of the state. The programme will support India’s Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) to expand its reach, visibility and effectiveness, and to engage community-based providers to improve TB services, especially for women, children, marginalized, vulnerable and TB-HIV co-infected populations, by 2015.